Senior Isolation – The Sad Truth

What you need to know:

There are approximately 11 million seniors who lived alone in a census conducted in 2010. Being an elderly without anyone to talk to or a family nearby can mostly result to experiencing senior isolation and loneliness.

There are various community activities for the elderly, however, most seniors do not feel the need to participate. At times, they don’t even feel comfortable socializing with others. This is one of the common cases that leads them to feel lonely and isolated.

It is essential that aging adults receive personal help when they feel uncomfortable engaging with community events and activities. Sadly, there are major consequences of senior isolation and it is important that family members know these.

Consequences of Senior Isolation

• Increased Risk for Depression & Mortality
Feelings of loneliness and isolation have been studied and found to be associated with more depressive symptoms in both middle-aged and older adults. Depression can lead to seniors not caring for themselves as well as they should. They tend to miss schedules going to the doctor for checkups and follow ups. Eventually, poor self-care may lead to fatal illnesses. Seeking treatment is one essential step to combat episodes of depression.

• Deteriorates Mental and Physical Health
Poor mental health in seniors are oftentimes due to feeling of loneliness. When an elderly feels lonely, physical symptoms can occur. Stomachaches, headaches and other pains may be present and may lead to more serious medical issues such as high blood pressure and heart failure.

• Leads to Ill Behaviors
Senior isolation can trigger bad habits such as smoking, eating unhealthy diet and skipping exercise regimen. These ill behaviors, when done for quite some time by seniors, may lead to severe physical conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and more.

• Higher Risk for Dementia
One major consequence of senior isolation is cognitive decline. When seniors have minimal to no mental activity, they start to lose their cognitive abilities. This leads to dementia and may become progressively worse as they continue to isolate themselves.

A place where they belong…

Seniors do not deserve to feel isolated and lonely. At Harmony Guest Home, we treat each and one of our residents as family. Constant social activities are being held within the facility to ensure quality of life. We are a residential care community for seniors in Hillsboro, Oregon that has been caring for Oregonians since 1993. Come and visit our facility to get to know more about our services and staff. You can also talk to us through 503-648-3413 and info@harmonyguesthome.com.